


Lunch Thief

by thanku4urlove



Category: Hey! Say! JUMP, Johnny's Entertainment
Genre: Alternate Universe - Office, Love Confessions, Love Notes, M/M, Originally Posted on LiveJournal, Secret Admirer, Thievery as Flirting, Valentine's Day Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-30
Updated: 2019-09-30
Packaged: 2020-11-07 22:43:40
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,443
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20825024
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thanku4urlove/pseuds/thanku4urlove
Summary: Takaki Yuya is proud of himself. He's finally reached the stage in his adult life where he's cooking and packing his own lunch. But he can't even enjoy it, because someone in the office has started stealing his food... And leaving notes behind. Takaki is determined to catch the thief; it doesn't matter how cute the little notes are.





	Lunch Thief

**Author's Note:**

> This is the first fic I wrote to pull myself out of my JUMP fic hiatus of 2017-2018. It's Takaki/Inoo fluff from Takaki's POV, aka Right-Up-My-Alley.com, but still took like 5 months for me to write, which is stupid. But oh well.

”...lunch?"  
“What?” Takaki asked. Daiki frowned, loosening his tie with one hand and poking Takaki’s forehead with the pen he was holding in the other.

“Lunch. Ryosuke and I are going to that cafe across the street for our lunch break. Do you want to come?”

“No.” Takaki said, a grin spreading across his face as he remembered his own lunch plans, stretching his arms up over his head and leaning back in his chair. Daiki gave him a bit of a look, Yamada walking up.

“Is he coming? I’m already clocked out and we only have an hour.”

“He said no.” Daiki said, Takaki smiling even wider.

“I said no.” He confirmed. Yamada mirrored the frown on Daiki’s face.

“Why is he so happy about it?”

“I made my own lunch last night.” Takaki reported. He knew he was grinning like a child--for completing a child’s task, so he supposed it was oddly fitting--but he’d stayed up late and packed it with care and hell, the food even tasted good.

“Oh! Good for you!” Yamada said, Takaki knowing that between his two friends at the office, Yamada would be the one to support his cooking endeavors. “...we’re going now!”

Not supportive enough to take any time out of his lunch break to talk about it, though. Takaki didn’t blame him. He himself wanted as much time with his homemade salmon fried rice as possible.

Takaki clocked out to eat, a spring in his step as he made his way to the breakroom fridge. He took out his lunch, opening it then and there, too excited to sit down first.

His jaw _dropped._

Takaki stormed into the cafe, dragged a chair up to Yamada and Daiki’s intimate two-person table, threw himself down into it, and took a strawberry off Yamada’s plate.

“Hey!” Daiki protested on his boyfriend's behalf, but it was too late, Takaki taking a bite and grinding the fruit between his teeth.

“What happened to that super exciting lunch you had planned?” Yamada asked, moving his own food a little closer to himself protectively.

“Hold on.” Daiki said, before Takaki could answer. He narrowed his eyes, pointing at him. “You gave yourself instant food poisoning.”

“No!” Takaki exclaimed, probably louder than the cafe allowed. “Someone ate it!”

“What?”

“Someone ate it!” He repeated, placing the empty container on the table, nearly squashing the food on Daiki’s plate. Daiki moved his plate quickly from the danger zone. “Someone ate my lunch!"

"Did you put your name on it?"

With a long sigh, Takaki opened the empty container--the painfully, painfully empty container--and pulled out the orange sticky note he'd taped onto the lid that morning. In his handwriting were the words _PROPERTY OF TAKAKI YUYA. DO NOT EAT._ Under that, in extremely glittery blue ink, was handwriting Takaki didn't recognize.

_Sorry, I was just so jealous that I couldn't help myself. ;)_

Daiki and Yamada stared at the note for a solid minute, Daiki arching one eyebrow as he looked back in Takaki's direction.

"So... Someone stole your lunch, actually."

"That's what I've been telling you!"

"Do you know who it was?"

"No.” Takaki sighed, crossing his arms. “It had already happened when I went on break."

"It was nice of them to wash the container for you, I guess." Yamada said with an unbothered shrug, Takaki glaring at him. They were not going to talk about how _nice_ his Lunch Thief was.

"My question," he said, feeling dramatic as he closed the lid with a snap, "is why is the thief jealous of me having lunch?"

Now Takaki was being looked at by both of his friends like he was an idiot, and it was a look he was used to, but this time he wasn't quite sure why it was happening.

"What?" He asked them.

"They're not jealous that you have lunch, Takaki. They're jealous of your lunch. 'Property of Takaki Yuya', remember?"

"Oh." Takaki sank a little in his seat, feeling a small blush rising on his face. "Oh."

Takaki had leftovers, so he figured he could let the Lunch Thief slide--he refused to say Secret Admirer, this was a crime, damn it--and simply packed himself lunch again the next day. He seemed to have inspired Daiki and Yamada, the two of them being disgustingly adorable together in the break room over a pile of homemade food when Takaki went on his own lunch break. He stepped past them and opened the fridge, ready to finally eat his fried rice, but when he picked up the container, he frowned. It seemed light. Too light.

“No. No, no, no.” Takaki slammed the container on the counter, wrenching the lid open, his worst fears confirmed. “No!”

Empty. His lunch was gone. _Again._

He reached into the container and pulled out the note, which was full of writing in that now-familiar blue and sparkly ink, and began to read.

_ Hey, hot stuff! That fried rice is good, but do you think you could mix it up for tomorrow? I'm getting bored. Of the food, of course. I'd never get tired of your lovely face._

The note was signed by a clumsily colored-in heart, and Takaki felt his face burning up to his ears. Hot stuff. Lovely face. Who the hell was doing this to him?

“You okay over there?” Yamada asked, and Takaki turned to see Daiki grinning at him.

“Lunch gone again?” He asked.

“Yeah.” Takaki frowned. “How did you know?”

“You yelled 'no’. I made an assumption.”

“Why is this happening to me?” Takaki insisted to know, approaching the break room table with the lunch container that was frighteningly devoid of lunch, sitting down next to Yamada. “Why me? Why my food?”

Yamada reached in, taking the note out and reading it.

“Because someone thinks you're cute, I guess.”

“...yeah.” Takaki tried not to blush. He failed spectacularly. “Whatever that means.”

“Maybe don't bring lunch tomorrow?” Daiki suggested. “If there's no lunch to steal, it won't get stolen.”

That was pretty solid logic, but Takaki shook his head.

“I’ll bring lunch. I'll bring lunch, and I’ll put my name on it, and I’ll put it in the fridge.”

“...why did you just say that like it was a good idea?” Yamada asked him, as Daiki offered up some of his own food for Takaki to eat.

“Because it’ll be a trap.” Takaki answered. “Whoever this is, tomorrow, I'll catch them.”

The plan was pretty simple. It wasn’t really even a plan at all, but Takaki liked thinking about it like it was one, so he did. He brought his clearly labeled lunch and put it in the fridge, then tried to sit at his coworker Yabu Kota’s desk instead of his own so he could have a clear view of the break room traffic flow. When Yaotome, the office supervisor, discovered that they’d switched desks he made them switch back, and Takaki had to resort to getting up every time someone walked in what looked like the direction break room--he really did have a terrible vantage point from his own desk--and awkwardly watch them from around corners. He didn’t want the Lunch Thief to see him, but he had to see them, which made everything rather difficult.

He checked periodically to make sure his food hadn’t disappeared, getting up nearly every half hour as lunchtime approached. Daiki asked him if he actually did have food poisoning or something, and Takaki’s insistence of “no, this is part of my _plan”_ didn’t stop him from guessing which end Takaki’s body was projectiling stuff from every time he got up to “go to the bathroom”. Takaki hissed at him that he wasn’t actually going to the bathroom, which just made Daiki laugh harder.

When it was time for Takaki to eat he could almost taste victory, which coincidentally tasted like the stir fry he had in his lunch today. He clocked out, walked up to the breakroom, stepped to put his foot through the doorway…

...and was immediately stepped in front of by a man in a short sleeve button-up shirt, slightly too small overall shorts, and a strange hat. He was smiling, and despite how dumb the outfit was, the smile was surprisingly genuine.

“Are you Takaki Yuya?” He asked. He looked slightly younger than Takaki himself, but was taller, and Takaki nodded hesitantly.

“You have a singing telegram!” He exclaimed in an already sing-songy voice, and Takaki just stood there, baffled, as the man waxed both poetically and surprisingly upbeat about his eyes, his hair, and other features about himself, some of them things that Takaki hadn’t even really thought about before, like how pointed his cupid’s bow was. Partially because Takaki didn’t know a cupid’s bow was both a mythical weapon and an actual human body part.

Some of the rhymes felt made up on the spot, and the man’s eyes kept shifting around as he sang, and it wasn’t until the singing ended and he bowed and ducked out that Takaki realized nearly ten minutes had passed. He was too busy being embarrassed by the crowd that had gathered around them, fussing at his coworkers to leave him alone and go back to their desks or on their lunch breaks of whatever else it was they were supposed to be doing. He wasn’t anyone’s boss, so naturally his orders were ignored, blatantly disregarded most of all by Daiki.

“This Secret Admirer thing seems a little serious.” He remarked as he and Takaki entered the break room together. “I mean… That was a ten minute song about you. I don’t even think I could sing about Ryosuke for ten minutes.”

He opened the fridge, handing Takaki his lunch before taking out his own.

“No, that’s not true. I could sing about Ryosuke for ten minutes.” Daiki continued in a contemplative voice, as though he were about to start writing lyrics. Aforementioned boyfriend Ryosuke walked in as Daiki was lamenting about finding a word he could use to rhyme with the exact color of Yamada’s eyes, but Takaki wasn’t listening anymore. He wasn’t even aware that Daiki was still talking. He was glaring down at his lunch in frustration. Or rather, glaring at the space his lunch should be. Because the food was gone again. _Again_ again.

_Could you pack rice balls or something next time? Something I can just shove in my mouth? Because I have a pretty big mouth, but my poor friend had to just keep making up stuff so I had enough time to eat all of this. It was good though! I do feel bad about leaving you nothing to eat, so that pizza box on the bottom shelf of the fridge is for you.  
__ P.S. - that surveillance attempt was adorable. But I am the master of diversion. (and of having silly friends that will pretend to be a singing telegram on a moment’s notice.)_

Signed again with a heart, in that sparkly blue ink.

“Cups or cutlery?”

“...what?” Takaki asked. Daiki was frowning down at a sheet of paper on his desk.

“I’m signing you up to being something for the Valentine’s Day lunch party the company is having at the end of the week. Everyone has to bring something. Do you want to bring cups or cutlery?”

“Is that all that’s left?”

“No. But most of the food options have something to do with chocolate, and I haven’t forgotten about the time you set that candy bar on fire in my microwave, so I’m just thinking ahead and doing the office a favor.”

Takaki frowned back at him, but felt he couldn’t really argue.

“Cups.” He decided, Daiki nodding and writing his name down in the appropriate square. Takaki turned back to answering emails, inspiration striking him roughly fifteen minutes later, the realization making him gasp and jump to his feet.

“Does everyone have to bring something?” He asked. Daiki was staring at him like he had at least two heads. At least. Maybe three heads, with four arms, and a tail.

“What are you talking about?” He asked back. “Why are you standing up?”

“The party. The sign up sheet. Does everyone have to bring something?”

“Are you trying to get out of it? Seriously Takaki, it’s just cups--”

“Just tell me.”

“Yes!” Daiki’s expression went from confused to concerned. “Everybody has to bring something. Are you okay?”

“The blue sparkly ink.” Takaki whispered, rushing off. It took him a good while to find the list, the thing taped to Supervisor Yaotome’s office door. Every space had been filled with characters, meaning every office employee’s name was on the list. The sparkles caught the light, Takaki recognizing the ink before his brain allowed him to realize what name he was reading. And even then, he didn’t understand. He just didn’t understand. In that blue ink were the characters that spelled out _Yamada Ryosuke._

“What the hell is this?” Takaki asked, slapping the paper down on top of the stack of papers Yamada was pouring over. Takaki was glad that Yamada’s desk was so far from he and Daiki’s desks; the walk had allowed him to burn off some of his anger, and Daiki wouldn’t hear the confrontation.

Yamada jumped at his voice and sudden appearance, turning quickly to look up at him. Takaki couldn’t believe it. The Lunch Thief couldn’t be Yamada. Yamada wasn’t supposed to be his Secret Admirer; he was supposed to be Daiki’s Sometimes Disgustingly Public Admirer. Hell, Yamada and Daiki were most of the reason Takaki still believed in true love. Takaki didn’t want Yamada calling him “hot stuff”, either genuinely or for a laugh. He didn’t know which was worse.

“It’s the sign up sheet for the Valentine’s Day party.” Yamada said. He both looked and sounded slightly affronted, pointing at the top of the page. “It says so right here. I’ve had my doubts in the past, but… You do know how to read, right?”

“Not that. You. Your name. That ink.” Takaki pointed, to be as specific as possible.

“Yeah?”

“That… That’s the ink the Lunch Thief uses when he leaves me notes. It’s…” Understanding seemed to dawn on Yamada’s face, but Takaki had to finish the question. He had to know. “It’s not you, is it?”

“No.” Yamada said after a long moment, and Takaki let out a breath, clutching at his chest. The relief was greater than he realized it would be. “I’m not taking your food, Takaki. I just found the pen on the floor on my way in this morning. It was a nice color, I thought…”

“Thank god.” Takaki murmured, and Yamada’s gaped at him.

“You thought I liked you? You thought I called you hot stuff?”

“Hey! I didn’t know what to think!” Takaki didn’t want Yamada to like him, but he didn’t want this bruising of his ego, either. “I just saw--and, and I thought--shut up!”

Yamada was still laughing about it when Takaki finally walked away, so embarrassed that he forgot to worry about his lunch, but it still didn’t surprise him when his lunch break came around and the container was light as air. Takaki didn’t even bother opening it, knowing all the food was gone. He just had more of that pizza the Lunch Thief had gotten him the day before.

“Hey…” Daiki did open the container though, looking inside. He pulled a sticky note out. “There’s something written on this.”

“Yeah. That the lunch is my property and that a stranger should stop eating it.” Takaki deadpanned. Daiki shook his head.

“No, no… This looks like a phone number.” Daiki said, sticking the note to Takaki’s arm. Frowning, Takaki wiped his fingers on a paper towel before taking the note and looking at it. Sure enough, it was just a string of numbers, written in dull black ink. He frowned at it.

“Do you really think it’s their phone number?” He asked. No note, no _call me ;)_ or anything else flirty that usually came with the Lunch Thief’s messages. Just a string of numbers.

“It’s the right amount of digits.” Daiki said. “I think you should text them and see what happens.”

“I should?”

“Yeah!” Yamada said. “Maybe you’ll find out who they are. Who they actually, _actually_ are.”

Takaki sent him a glare, getting an overly innocent look from his coworker in return. After a moment of consideration, he folded the note in half and pocketed it.

“You're not texting them?” Daiki asked.

“I'll do it later.” Takaki explained. He was inexplicably nervous, hoping that the feeling would fade by the end of the day.

No such luck. That evening found him sitting on his couch, the note in one hand and a new, empty text message on his phone in the other, trying to think of what to say. Nerves were humming in his chest. He didn't know what to open with, because every variation of _Hi my name is Takaki Yuya and I think you're eating my lunch_ sounded dumb to his ears. Finally, he figured he had to just start with something, anything. He kept it simple.

_To: Unknown Number  
__ Lunch Thief?_

The response took a couple of minutes.

_From: Unknown Number  
__ Thievery? Is that what the kids call flirting these days?_

Unbidden, a small smile started on Takaki's lips. It was them; Takaki could tell. This was his Lunch Thief.

_To: Unknown Number  
__ It's what they call it when you eat other people's lunches._

_ From: Unknown Number  
_ _ What about Secret Admirer? Because I am a bit of a secret, and I am admiring you, Yuya._

Takaki's mouth went a bit dry, licking his lips subconsciously as he read the last text a couple of times. He wasn't hating this, he had to admit.

_ To: Unknown Number  
_ _ It really isn't fair that you know my name and I don't know yours._

The response was a bit of a wait this time, and for a moment Takaki was worried he'd scared them off.

_From: Unknown Number  
__ It's...better this way. Less weird, trust me._

_ To: Unknown Number  
_ _ It's less weird for me to be getting flirty messages from a complete stranger?_

_ From: Unknown Number  
_ _ We're not strangers. We work in the same building, you know._

Takaki had figured that, sure, but he still filed it away in a small list he was compiling about who this Lunch Thief could be. He was about to attempt crafting a second, slightly prying question when his phone buzzed.

_From: Unknown Number  
__ Less weird than you knowing I'm a guy._

Oh. Takaki stared at his phone screen for a couple of moments. While unexpected, somehow, that made sense; Takaki couldn't imagine any of the women in his office writing the flirty notes that the Lunch Thief had left him. He thought for a moment, cycling through a couple of his co-workers in his mind, before realizing in a panic that he hadn't yet texted back. He didn’t want the Lunch Thief to get the wrong idea.

_To: Unknown Number  
__ That isn't really a deal breaker for me, actually._

This response also took some time.

_From: Unknown Number  
__ Oh. That's good to know.  
__ Glad to hear it._

There wasn’t a response for several minutes, and Takaki figured that the ball was in his court. He got to his feet, pacing his living room.

_To: Unknown Number  
__ Well now that I know that much about you, can I know who you are?_

_ From: Unknown Number  
_ _ Eager, are we? ;)_

Takaki bit down on his bottom lip, trying to suppress the grin growing on face as he stilled his walk.

_To: Unknown Number  
__ I'm curious! And I don't want to keep you in my phone as “unknown number”_

_ From: Unknown Number  
_ _ Then just call me something else._

_ To: Unknown Number  
_ _ Like what?_

_ From: Unknown Number  
_ _ Whatever you want ;)_

_ To: Unknown Number  
_ _ You use the winky face emoji way too much._

_ From: Unknown Number  
_ _ ;D_

Takaki had to take some time to think of a response to that, walking to the kitchen in lieu of his previous pacing. He could pack his lunch, he supposed.

_ To: Unknown Number  
_ _ I need to make my lunch for tomorrow. What are you in the mood to eat?_

_ From: Unknown Number  
_ _ Are you making something for me? My heart just beat so fast <3_

_ To: Unknown Number  
_ _ I'm not making it for you. I just know you're going to eat it anyway._

The message may have sounded deadpan, but Takaki couldn't keep the smile off his face. He got yet another winking emoji back, and further persistence of the question only gave him the answer of _I’ll love anything Yuya cooks,_ so Takaki made some simple fried rice. He wouldn't have been able to cook anything more complicated than that anyway, too distracted by his cell phone.

They texted each other for hours into the evening, and while Takaki was able to learn more about the personality of this flirty, quirky guy, his identity didn't become any less of a mystery; all attempts to get any information on name or physical appearance were danced around or ignored.

_ To: Unknown Number  
_ _ Tell me your hair color, at least. That has to be safe enough._

_ From: Unknown Number  
_ _ Fine! Blue._

_ To: Unknown Number  
_ _ What?_

_ From: Unknown Number  
_ _ I'm an alien :P_

_ To: Unknown Number  
_ _ I don't want to have a crush on an alien :(_

_ From: Unknown Number  
_ _ My love is out of this world!_

Takaki's text and the Lunch Thief's own sent at the same time, and for a moment nothing happened.

_From: Unknown Number  
__ A crush on? Am I reading that right?_

_ To: Unknown Number  
_ _ How are your feelings going to be returned if I don't know what you look like?_

There was no response for a long moment, and Takaki was worried he'd said something wrong. He fiddled with his phone as he waited, trying not to get nervous. Then, finally,

_ From: Alien  
_ _ It's black, silly. Same as yours. I work in an office building after all._

A black haired guy. Takaki's heart jumped at the clue, just to plummet again. That matched the physical appearance of nearly all of his male coworkers.

_ To: Alien  
_ _ You should give me chocolates for Valentine's Day. During the party we're having at work._

_ From: Alien  
_ _ Girls give chocolates on Valentine's Day. I'm not a girl._

_ To: Alien  
_ _ But guys receive chocolates. And I'm a guy. Plus, it'll help make up for all the times you've stolen my food._

_ From: Alien  
_ _ ...fine. But I'm warning you now, I've never tried to make chocolates before._

Yes! Takaki couldn't believe that had worked; he truly hadn't expected it to. It was Wednesday night. He was meeting the Lunch Thief on Friday. That was both too soon and too far away all at once.

_ To: Alien  
_ _ Just try not to poison me._

_ From: Alien  
_ _ ;)_

_ _ “So…?” Daiki had a grin on his face and a mischievous glint in his eye as he walked in to work the next morning, placing his briefcase on his desk. Takaki spared him the smallest of glances before turning his eyes back to his computer.

“Morning.”

“Morning?” Daiki sounded indignant. “That's all you have to say?”

“All I have to say?” Takaki asked back, looking over at his friend again. “What do you mean?”

“Didn’t you text your Secret Admirer?”

Of course Daiki would want to know about that. Takaki fought hard to keep a smile off his face, not wanting to give Daiki the satisfaction, but failed miserably. Daiki gasped at his expression, sitting down and leaning over his own desk into Takaki's space.

“What happened?”

“We just…” Takaki shrugged, his phone now a weight in his pocket, and kept his eyes pointedly at his computer screen. “We just talked.”

Daiki rolled his eyes, as though that was the most boring thing he'd ever heard.

“But who is it?”

“Who is it?” Takaki asked back. “I don't know!”

“But I thought you guys talked! What did you talk about?”

Takaki shrugged again. “Stuff.”

He didn’t really want to go into the details with Daiki, feeling like the whole thing was rather private. They’d talked about the jobs they would have if they weren’t working in the office--Takaki said something at the beach, while the Lunch Thief declared he would be “one of those people that ate food on television”, which prompted some teasing. They talked a little bit about near-death experiences, the Lunch Thief recounting a story about stealing some of his sister’s makeup, while Takaki mentioned the time he fell off his roof as a kid. Nothing serious, nothing of consequence, but it had still been nice.

Daiki was giving him an unamused look.

“Do you know anything about them?” He asked.

“It’s one of the guys that works in the office.” Takaki finally answered, Daiki beginning to grin. “And he has dark hair. But that’s all I know.”

“That’s something!” Daiki exclaimed in excitement, and it was Takaki’s turn to look unamused.

“No it’s not! That’s what I look like. That’s what you look like.”

“It’s what Yamada looks like.” Daiki said, and he was grinning, and Takaki realized Daiki had found out about the previous day. “But it’s not him. You know that, right?”

“Shut up, Daiki.”

Daiki just laughed. Whether it was continued teasing or a genuine attempt to help, whenever a man with dark hair passed them by Daiki would tap Takaki in excitement and murmur “what about him?”

After about the twelfth time, when Daiki whispered excitedly about a coworker that Takaki knew for a fact was eighteen years older than him, married, and had two daughters, Takaki decided that he’d had enough.

“You pointing out every person we work with is just weird!” He hissed, not as quietly as he’d hoped. The passing coworker looked over, getting a sheepish wave from Takaki in response. Daiki began to break down in giggles, and Takaki reached over his desk to whack him on the head. He missed. “This isn’t helping! I don’t know who he is, and I--”

“Takaki, are doing any actual work at the moment?” Came a voice from behind them, Daiki sobering up instantly as Takaki paled and fell silent. The words weren’t said harshly, but they came from the mouth of their supervisor, Takaki turning slowly to look at Yaotome.

“I, uh…”

“Because if you’re not particularly busy, there is something I’d like you to help with.”

Takaki let out a breath. Oh. That was better than ridicule.

“What is it?”

“Decorating the break room. The Valentine’s Day party is tomorrow, and the room still looks boring.”

“I’m not…” Takaki almost pointed out his lack of experience when it came to decorating things, but realized as he was speaking that if he stayed here, he’d have to endure more of Daiki’s teasing, and quickly stood instead. “I’d love to help out.”

“Excellent.” Yaotome nodded vaguely in the direction of the break room before walking off. Daiki was grinning widely--possibly because they’d escaped a scolding, or because Takaki was being sent off to do a rather hilarious task--Takaki resisting the urge to flip him off as he walked away.

The break room wasn’t empty, like Takaki expected. There were two boxes full of what he assumed were decorations, red, white, and pink things that looked to either be fluffy or made of cardstock. A red chain of hearts was being held up by a man who had his back turned, his head tilted in confusion.

“Need help?” Takaki asked, walking up. The man turned, and Takaki’s step faltered.

He was about Takaki’s height, his black hair framing his face, with big dark eyes and pink and pouting lips. Those lips curled into a slight smile, the man raising an eyebrow. Takaki’s mouth went dry.

“If you’re offering.” He said, turning back to the wall he’d been holding the heart chain up to, and Takaki hurried over.

“I’m--yeah.” He said, trying not to stumble too terribly over the words. God, this man was gorgeous, and Takaki was hopeless. “I… Yaotome sent me in here to help decorate.”

“Hm. That’s nice of him.” The man turned his head to look at Takaki again, who was standing next to him now. “Grab this end, will you?”

Takaki quickly took the end he was being offered, and without warning, the pretty stranger climbed up onto the incredibly wobbly centerfold table. Takaki opened and closed his mouth in surprise, hovering behind him.

“Be careful.” He said quickly, getting a small exhale through the man’s nose that was almost a laugh.

“Just promise to catch me if I fall.”

“I… Okay.”

The man asked for a piece of tape, Takaki having to search the table for a moment to find the dispenser.

“You’re Takaki Yuya, right?” He asked, and Takaki nodded, their fingers touching as Takaki offered the strip of adhesive over. He wondered if he was supposed to know who his new decorating partner was, but his silence must have been telling, because he was glanced down at. “I’m Inoo Kei. I’ve worked here for about a year now.”

“Really?” Takaki asked, as Inoo Kei hopped back down. He felt he would remember someone that looked like _this_. He should.

“Really.” Inoo confirmed with a nod. “I mean, we’re in different departments, but we ran into each other at the New Year’s party.”

“We did?”

Thankfully, Inoo seemed almost amused by his lapse in memory.

“I mean, I remember you. You were third-wheeling Arioka and Yamada pretty hard.”

In spite of himself, Takaki laughed a little. “Third-wheeling them is my second job, I think. It’s the universe's second job.”

Inoo nodded and laughed, pulling a few fluffy decorations from the box.

“They’re sweet though.”

“Yeah. Plus, I’m used to it by now. I’m going out to lunch with them today.”

They decorated quietly for a couple of minutes, Takaki sticking heart-shaped cutouts haphazardly on the walls and hoping that it didn’t look too terrible. He wanted to talk to this Inoo Kei some more, breaking the silence without any tact.

“So what, uh… What are you doing for lunch?”

“Oh, I already ate.” Inoo waved a hand. “Nothing too fancy, just some fried rice. I love rice.”

Takaki had to laugh at the coincidence. “I made fried rice last night! I brought it with me today.”

Inoo’s brow furrowed, his lips drawing together. Takaki had a wild notion to kiss the expression off his mouth, the wishful thinking so strong he almost missed Inoo’s question.

“I thought you were going out to eat? With Arioka and Yamada?”

“Right! Yeah.” Takaki said quickly, hastening to explain. “I brought my lunch, because… Well, there’s this guy that keeps eating my lunch out of the fridge. So I made plans with my friends, because no matter what I try to do, he always eats my food before I can catch him.”

Inoo broke out into laughter. “That’s hilarious! Really?”

“Really. He’s a Lunch Thief. And it’s not funny! It’s thievery.”

“Come on.” Inoo threw a glance at Takaki over his shoulder, the smile still playing on his lips. “It’s a little funny. Do you have any idea who it is?”

Takaki let out a little sigh, returning his attention to the decoration box.

“No idea. He’s a black haired guy, so he could be just about anyone in this building.”

Inoo nodded thoughtfully. “Do you want to meet him?”

“Of course!” Takaki exclaimed, and Inoo laughed again. “He owes me. He’s been eating my food for a week.”

“So what, you’re going to make him pay up?”

“Not… Not exactly. I talked him into giving me chocolates during the Valentine’s Day party tomorrow.” The party that Takaki was currently decorating for with another very cute coworker. Takaki had the sudden, wild feeling that he was somehow cheating on his Lunch Thief with Inoo Kei. But Inoo grinned, raising an eyebrow.

“Romantic.” He remarked. Takaki flushed, bringing his hand up to the back of his neck and glancing away. Unbidden, a smile tugged at the corners of his lips.

“I… Yeah, kind of. I guess.”

“Don’t be embarrassed!” Inoo teased, prodding Takaki’s side with his elbow, the physical contact surprising. “I think it’s cute.”

Those words did nothing to help Takaki’s red face, and Inoo noticed, laughing rather hard at him before going to the other side of the room to hang another string of hearts. This table wobbled even worse than the first, Takaki running quickly over.

“You need to stop climbing up on these!” He protested, his voice loud to cover his concern, but Inoo just shrugged.

“Just promise to catch me if I fall.” He said again.

The room was a grossly fluffy, pink, heart-shaped disaster by the time they’d run out of decorations, the two of them standing shoulder to shoulder in the doorway to admire their handiwork.

“We probably didn’t need to use everything in both of the boxes.” Takaki remarked, after a quiet moment of contemplation. Inoo hummed in consideration.

“Nah.” He declared, Takaki glancing over at him, eyes catching for a moment on the curve of his nose. It really wasn’t fair for someone to be this captivating. “I think it looks perfect.”

He looked back at Takaki with a grin, and Takaki, who suddenly felt very much that he’d been caught staring, shot his gaze down to his feet, more willing to stare holes into his shoes than blush in front of Inoo again.

“Mission accomplished then? Because I guess we should go back to work.” Takaki said.

“I guess so.” Inoo held his arm up for a high five, but when Takaki went to return it the touch was incredibly light, more of a meeting of hands than the slap the motion was supposed to be. Inoo’s palm was soft, his fingers slender and pretty and long. Takaki swallowed. “It was nice to talk to you, Takaki Yuya.”

“Yeah.” Takaki felt his lips curling to match the smile on Inoo’s face. “It was nice to talk to you too, Inoo Kei.”

With one last grin Inoo turned and walked off, and Takaki watched him go.

Takaki spent the rest of the day thinking about Inoo. His lunch was completely gone when he took his lunch break, but found it barely bothered him as he went out to eat with his friends. Daiki and Yamada were in the middle of an animated discussion, and Takaki completely wasn’t paying attention, something he didn’t even notice until Daiki elbowed him.

“You alright?” He asked. “You’ve done nothing but zone out since we left.”

“I--Yeah! I’m…” Takaki wracked his mind, trying to come up with some sort of excuse, but before he managed anything his cell phone buzzed. It was resting on the table next to his arm, the vibration loud against the wood. He picked it up quickly, and upon seeing that it was from the Lunch Thief, instantly ignored his previous intention to respond to his friend.

_From: Alien  
__ How did you know I love rice? You’re the best <3_

Takaki looked at the heart emoji, beginning to grin.

“Oh, look at his face.” Yamada said, his voice a loud whisper.

“And he says we’re gross.” Daiki agreed. Takaki flipped them both off without looking up from the screen, though he could see from his peripherals that Yamada was returning the gesture.

_To: Alien  
__ Gotta make your last meal a good one._

_ From: Alien  
_ _ Last meal? What are you gonna do, kill me?_

_ To: Alien  
_ _ No! Last meal from me, you’re not going to be able to eat my food anymore once I find out your identity. You’re so weird._

_ From: Alien  
_ _ You underestimate me.  
_ _ And I know I’m weird. But you like it. ;)_

Takaki found that he couldn’t disagree.

It was almost surreal to walk into work the next day and find that for everyone else, it was business as usual. Takaki himself had woken early, changed his outfit four different times, and very nearly been late. He was embarrassed by how self-conscious he was being, refusing to admit the real reason behind the outfit concerns. A dumb work party was reason enough to dress up, he told himself; it had nothing to do with the revelation of secret identities.

No, it did, and he knew it. Today was the day; the day he was meeting his Lunch Thief. So what if he was nervous? So what if he wanted to look nice?

His nervousness must have shown on his face, because as soon as he sat down, Daiki gave him a once-over and immediately began to laugh.

“What? Shut up.” Takaki snapped at him, scowling.

“You styled your hair.” Daiki accused.

“I… I always look like this.” Takaki defended, and Daiki just laughed harder. Takaki tried to kick him under their desks, but hit a table leg instead and stubbed three of his five left toes. He nearly cursed out loud, noticing Supervisor Yaotome walking up and just gritting his teeth instead. Daiki had all but dissolved in his seat, his eyes squeezed shut in mirth, his hand clamped over his mouth.

“Morning!” Yaotome told them both, Daiki nodding to him, Takaki offering up a smile that felt--and looked, probably--like more of a grimace.

The day didn’t get much better. Takaki’s nerves were doing him in. He managed to misaddress three emails and spill hot coffee on his shoes, and that was all before ten in the morning. The Valentine’s Day party was taking place over lunch, and the closer midday got, the less he could focus. By eleven-thirty Takaki had completely given up on being productive, leaning back in his chair and letting the seconds tick by.

_To: Alien  
__ You brought those chocolates for me, right?_

_ From: Alien  
_ _ Of course! They’re sitting on my desk <3_

Takaki’s nerves coiled tighter, and he waited for noon to come. When it did, the office collectively clocked out and made their way to the break room, Daiki stopping in his tracks and bursting out laughing when he saw all of the decorations.

“What on earth did you and Inoo do in here?” He asked, Yamada releasing Daiki's arm so he could turn and look at the whole room.

“It does look like St. Valentine threw up on the walls.” Yamada admitted, Takaki about to thank him for giving such a colorful description when his brain caught on what Daiki said.

“You know Inoo Kei?” He asked. Daiki raised his eyebrows.

“Well, yeah. We're friends.” Daiki explained. Not that it was helpful; it seemed as though Daiki was friends with nearly everyone in the office. “I introduced you to him at the New Year’s party last month.”

“How do I not remember that?” Takaki asked, the question more to himself, following absently behind his friends as they made their way to the food tables.

The buffet was good, but Takaki found his appetite gone, his stomach too twisted with nervous energy to even want to eat. He kept looking over his shoulder every five minutes, waiting for a black haired man to approach him with a box of chocolates. It felt ludicrous, but he couldn’t help himself. Finally, Daiki let out a sigh and dropped his chopsticks down onto his plate.

“Get that look off your face. You’re just going to spook him.”

“Shut up.” Takaki responded on reflex, then froze. He hadn’t told Daiki what was going to happen today; how did he know? “Wait, what do you mean?’

“I just mean that if you look that anxious and constipated at the same time, your Secret Admirer isn’t going to want to talk to you.”

“How did you know--” Takaki put the pieces together, and his jaw dropped. “You know who it is!” He exclaimed, and Yamada’s face scrunched up in a snort of poorly concealed laughter, turning and pressing his face into Daiki’s shoulder. Takaki pointed his chopsticks between the two of them, incredulous. “You _both_ know! You both know who he is!”

“Yeah. We do.” Daiki grinned, the smile not mocking or mischievous, and he nodded to the table that they were standing next to, a space by Takaki’s elbow. “And he’s waiting for you.”

Takaki looked down, and nearly dropped his plate. There was a small wrapped box sitting on the table now, having been set down beside him while he was distracted. He floundered with his thoughts for a moment before thrusting his plate into Daiki’s hands, all but spilling food on him, and picked it up.

He’d missed it. Daiki had distracted him, and he’d missed meeting his Secret Admirer. His heart was sinking, the package in his hands, when Yamada spoke up.

“Well? Are you going to open it?”

Not needing any further prompting Takaki did, untying the ribbon that held the lid on. The box was full of small chocolates, slightly messy and obviously homemade, heart-shaped and looking like they’d been popped from a mold. Sitting inside the lid, almost escaping Takaki’s notice, was a sticky note. It was written in that blue and sparkly ink, the handwriting having grown familiar over the past week.

_There’s no lunch to steal today, so maybe I can steal your heart instead? ;)_

In spite of himself and his nerves, Takaki found himself smiling at the flirty words, a small statement scribbled at the bottom.

_I’m on the edge of love… Just promise to catch me if I fall._

Takaki’s heart flew up into his throat and promptly tried to suffocate him. Catch me if I fall. _Catch me if I fall._ He spun around, and his eyes met with Inoo Kei’s, who was standing near the back of the room and giving Takaki a small, hopeful smile.

Takaki crossed the room, barely aware of his legs carrying him, Inoo’s smile growing the closer he got. He was barely a foot away when he stuttered to a stop, holding the open box of chocolates and floundering for something to say.

“It’s you.” He finally managed bluntly, dumbly, and Inoo beamed.

“It’s me.” Inoo agreed with a nod that had him breaking eye contact, looking down at Takaki’s feet, letting out a laugh. Despite his relaxed body language, the laugh was breathy with nerves. “Sorry for not handing it to you; I couldn’t resist the opportunity to be mysterious one last time.”

“I can't believe…” Takaki began, the words _how lucky I am_ dying in his throat, feeling like that was too strong, too intense. “I can't believe that Daiki knew this whole time, and didn't tell me.”

“I asked him not to.” Inoo confessed. “I talked about you to him so much that after a week, he demanded I do something about this crush.” Still avoiding his eyes, Inoo tucked a stray piece of hair behind his ear. Takaki watched the motion. “So I came up with a plan. I wanted you to have already met me, so just in case I asked Yaotome to send you in so we could decorate this room together.”

“Even Yaotome was in on it?” Takaki gaped, the full body laugh that his surprise brought from Inoo making the shock fully worth it. “I mean, it worked.”

“Yeah?” Inoo asked, meeting his eyes.

“Yeah. I really, really wanted to keep talking to you after yesterday.”

“Why didn't you?”

“I already felt pretty committed to a mystery man that was stealing my lunch.”

That made Inoo laugh again, Takaki unable not to smile back at him. They stood there for a long moment, simply smiling at each other, then Inoo reached forwards and poked Takaki in the chest.

“Well? After all that hard work, are you going to ask me out or not?”

“Hard work?” Takaki asked back. He couldn't help it; he was beaming. “All you did was eat my food!”

Inoo giggled, the sound dying down and his expression turning expectant as Takaki opened his mouth to speak.

“Inoo, would you be my Valentine?”

“Wow. Cheesy.” Inoo remarked, but he was grinning. “And, if it wasn't obvious… I'd love to.”

He leaned forwards before Takaki could react, placing a feather light kiss on his cheek. Takaki's entire face grew warm, a happy excitement swelling up in his chest and coming out in the smile on his face. When he pulled back, Inoo snagged a piece of his homemade chocolate from the box, popping in into his mouth.

“Hey! That's mine!” Takaki protested after a moment of recollecting himself. Inoo just laughed, giving him a wink.


End file.
